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Bob Stevens Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: MD
Date: 1 Dec 2008

Biographical History

Robert Merrill Stevens (1923-1994), commonly known as Bob Stevens, was an American cartoonist and illustrator.

Bob Stevens, born in Iowa in 1923, became interested in drawing at age seven and graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. Stevens joined the Air Force, as a pilot, and served for 22 years before retiring in 1964. During his military career, Stevens contributed cartoons to the Army Times and Stars and Stripes.

His comic strip, Clementine, distributed by the Lew Little Syndicate debuted in July 1965. He joined Copley Newspapers (publishers of the San Diego Union Tribune) as an editorial cartoonist and his cartoons appeared in 300 papers. In 1972 he left Copley to pursue freelance work. Stevens, influenced by his Air Force career, was also known for his aviation cartoons which appeared in Private Pilot magazine in the 1970s and 1980s and in Professional Pilot. His published books include: There I Was, Flat On My Back (1968) and More There I Was (1974). He also served as the cartoon editor for Trailer Life Publications.

Stevens was a member of the National Cartoonists Society. He received five Freedoms Foundation awards and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

Bob Stevens died in 1994.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Bob Stevens Papers (1966-1970) contain primarily original editorial cartoons.

The Cartoons series (1966-1970) is comprised of 135 original editorial cartoons drawn by Stevens for syndication through Copley Newspapers. The cartoons typically bear two dates: one on the front indicating the day on which the cartoon was to appear and a stamped date on the back listing the day the engraver received the cartoon prior to publication. For the purpose of this finding aid, the date on the front of the cartoon has been used where possible. Note that cartoons dating to 1970 are stamped with an engraving date of "1960".

The cartoons were drawn primarily with ink and crayon on illustration board with dot screening. Many pieces from 1969 and 1970 (see Oversize Box 3) were created on Grafix paper. Captions and dates appear in pencil. Dimensions vary but the majority of the cartoons measure 11" x 14".

Printed material contains one copy of the Copley Press from Winter 1969.

The Engraving plate is of Stevens' cartoon about the death of Walt Disney (1966). It shows Mickey Mouse in a spotlight with a tear running down his cheek. A 8"x10" copy of the cartoon is included.

Arrangement of the Collection

Cartoons are arranged in chronological order.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has collections of over one hundred cartoonists. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.

Subject Headings

Persons

Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Stevens, Bob, 1923-1994.

Corporate Bodies

Copley Press, inc.

Subjects

American wit and humor, Pictorial.
Caricatures and cartoons -- United States.
Cartoonists -- United States.
Cold War -- Caricatures and cartoons.
College students -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Demonstrations -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Editorial cartoons -- United States.
Peace -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
World politics--1965-1975 -- Caricatures and cartoons.

Places

China -- Politics and government -- 1949-1976 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Soviet Union -- Politics and government -- 1945-1991 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1963-1969 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1969-1974 --Caricatures and cartoons.

Genres and Forms

Cartoons (humorous images)
Editorial cartoons.
Printing plates.

Occupations

Cartoonists.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Bob Stevens Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Bob Stevens, 1967-1970.

Table of Contents

Cartoons

Printed material

Engraving plate

Index to cartoons

Inventory

Index to cartoons

The following is a list of predominant people, places and subjects appearing in the editorial cartoons in this collection. The list is not exhaustive. Some subjects may require you to browse with alternative terms.

B= Box, F= Folder. For example: B1F1= Box 1 Folder 1.